[Sca-cooks] tsaziki (yoghurt) sauce

[Harris Mark.S-rsve60]

Avraham replied to me with:
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> Ah, I do like this sauce when I've had it on gyro sandwiches.  Since I
> can get steak as cheap as I can get lamb (I checked today. Ground
> lamb and lamb meat were both about $3.89/lb), I'm thinking this sauce
> might be good with strips of roast beef instead of lamb. I'm not
> sure where I can get the flat bread for a gyro either.

My standard local grocery store sells a "pocketless pita" which is a good
approximation. You can (at least in America) get "beef gyros".
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Okay. I'm not sure my regular grocery sells these, but I think
I've seen them, so I'll just have to look around. You mention a
"pocketless pita". What is the traditional way to eat these?
If I remember correctly, both the gyros I've had at Gulf Wars
and the ones I've had at a Greek place here in town simply
folded over the pita, like a tortilla, and filled that. No cutting
a slit in the gyro.

I guess I could use a flour tortilla, but I think I'd rather
have a pita.

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> How big a chunk of cucumber to be considered a "sliver"? And minced
> garlic, I assume? Just mix together cold?

Most recipes call for peeling, seeding and grating, then salting and
draining for 1/2 hour. I like to cut it in very fine julienne, matchstick
size or smaller. You should also line a strainer with cheesecloth and dump
the yogurt in for several hours to drain. Proportions are to taste, but I
use 1 cup of yogurt, 1 cucumber, 1 minced clove of garlic, 1-2 tbsp wine
vinegar and 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Marinate the garlic
in the oil and vinegar. Squeeze as much water out of the salted cucumber as
you can. Mix everything together.
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I'm sure glad you went into more detail. You didn't mention
some of these things or some of the ingredients before. Also,
there is more cucumber and less garlic than I would have
thought. Without draining the yoghurt, no wine vinegar, no
olive oil, no salt and pepper and probably a grated, unpeeled
cucumber, I wonder *what* I would have ended up with.

Thanks,
  Stefan li Rous